Hajime Moriyasu set to become Japanese national soccer manager

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Sources told Japan’s Asahi Shimbun on Friday that the Japan Football Association (JFA) decided to appoint Hajime Moriyasu as the new manager of the country’s men's national soccer team.

Forty-nine-year-old Moriyasu is currently the manager of Japan’s men’s U21 soccer team and will lead them in the upcoming 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. The appointment is expected to be approved at a meeting of JFA’s Executive Committee on July 26. Asahi Shimbun said that Moriyasu was keen for the job and will soon talk to JFA over contract terms.

At the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, Japan almost knocked out Belgium./VCG Photo

JFA started to look for a new manager during the 2018 FIFA World Cup, where Japan made it to the round of 16 and nearly knocked out Belgium. Moriyasu worked with manager Akira Nishino as a senior coach.

JFA’s technical committee reached a consensus that the country’s national soccer team should be coached by homegrown managers and considered Moriyasu to be one of the best candidates for the job. The team’s success at the World Cup strengthened the organization's belief.

Akira Nishino, former manager of Japan's men's national soccer team /VCG Photo

“Moriyasu has achieved the No. 1 record,” said Kohzo Tashima, president of JFA.

Moriyasu was born in Kakegawa and played 37 matches for the Japanese national soccer team with two goals. He retired in 2002 and began to work as a manager for different teams including Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Japan’s U19 national soccer team. In 2017 he became manager of the country’s U21 squad.